#thelle

THISTLE: Thistle was only doing this because it entertained him. He was quite sure that Briar would say no and that would be the end of that. This Belle might throw a fit and that itself would make it worth it. He found this whole situation rather odd, but he couldn’t help but be intrigued. A magical sword in Elfhame and a party of what? Ragtag Mundus to try and retrieve it? Even if they were caught, at least the queen would be mollified by a lovely new crop of servants. 

They had agreed on a neutral location to meet: a spot by the lake. 

Thistle had been the liaison between Briar and Belle. Now, he walked to the meeting site with his cousin. 

“I doubt whatever they have to offer will do us much good in the long run,” he said under his breath to Briar. Though, he supposed it was Briar’s prerogative whether he helped them or not. 

They found the correct spot, in the treeline a rather far distance from the water. Standing in the shade was a beautiful, petite woman—her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her skirt catching in the wind. At her side hulked a huge, black hound which rippled with magic. Ah, so perhaps she was not so simple-minded as Thistle assumed. That would certainly make this more fun. 

There was a spark to her bright eyes as she caught sight of them. “Thistle, I presume? And Briar? I’m Belle.” 

Belle Acheron, Thistle knew, but he wasn’t sure if that was her True Name or not. Human names could be quite complicated. He noted that she didn’t give her last name, so she was at least aware of the power. 

“Yes, I am Thistle. This is Briar.”

BRIAR: Briar was skeptical about the whole deal the mortals wanted to make. He didn’t trust them to withstand the allure of Elfhame and make it out alive. Most humans that ventured to the wild fae realm never returned… but most of them didn’t have the guts to make a deal with the Fey Princes either. 

“I don’t think any humans would have anything that I would want, but they might be entertaining. Who knows? They might surprise us,” Briar responded with the same detached attitude as they approached. 

Belle meant beauty and she had it in spades. But did she have the will? Briar hoped she did. It would be all the more exciting if she did. And she brought a dog. How cute. 

The younger of the cousins watched on as she introduced herself and Thistle introduced them. He was kind of bummed she knew about the whole name thing. It could have been a scheme and a half to compel her and lure her friends to Elfhame. He let his mind wander to how that would play out for him. The Queen gets new slaves, ahem, entertainers and he got… Well, nothing really. 

Annoying. 

“Prince Briar,” he specified, and pointed to the hound at her side lackadaisically. “Can I pet your dog?” 

BELLE:  Was Belle excited to meet two fae princes? 

Abso-fucking-lutely. 

How often did one get to meet a real fae prince? Not often, she would wager and she was meeting two. Which meant she had to soak all this in. She had drilled Wendy with questions and hit the books. Learned all she could, even if she had to cross reference against what Wendy said. 

She bounced on the balls of her feet but stilled when the princes drew nearer. Belle lifted her chin and did her best to look poised and in control. Didn’t want to look eager, even if the spark in her eye gave her away. She always joked about being Lady of the Underworld, because she thought it was silly. But if there was anyway it could infuse her with some sort of power, even just the social kind, now was the time for it.

“I’m—“ she paused, realizing she was about to apologize off the bat. She took a breath and lifted her chin again. “Prince Briar, then,” Belle corrected. 

“You may try,” she told the prince. Shuck growled low at her side, pulling back his black gums to show a row of sharp white teeth, a bit of smoke curled from his lips. 

“You wish to go to Elfhame?” said Prince Thistle.

“I do,” Belle replied simply. “And I require an escort.”

BRIAR: Briar smirked at her addressing him. He really didn’t need the ego boost, but he wanted it anyway. However it quickly faded with the snarl of the beast next to her. Clever girl brought a creature of the night to protect her. The Fae Prince noticed the smoke and the dark color; this was no ordinary dog. Reminded him of the night hounds that howled all across the Riverlands on those many foggy nights. 

He pulled back his hand casually, brushing off his brief shock, shoving it into his pocket. “Well, if an escort is what you want… I’m more than willing. But what can you do for me?”

Thistle wasn’t going to go back, Slightly couldn’t… So Briar was her only bet. 

He could get whatever he wanted from her if she wanted it badly enough. 

“I’d say I’d do it for free, but nothing is ever free with the fair folk.” If he were to speak it, the truth was that he’d do it purely for the enjoyment of watching them fail and be swept into the mystic allure that is Elfhame. 

BELLE:  No, Belle had not expected it to be free. 

She had spent a good deal of time trying to decide what it was she could offer the fae. Belle did not have to be told that leaving it open ended was not a good option. A fae coming to collect on a debt never worked out well in the stories. 

However, she was just a Mundus. No matter who she surrounded herself with. There were the other knights, but she doubted they’d appreciate her volunteering them for something. Besides, she didn’t know what a fae prince could even want. There was not much that she could give. The only thing she’d been able to think of she reached into her pocket now and drew out after glancing around to make certain they were alone. 

In her palm several jewels glimmered with unearthly glow. 

“Would these be sufficient?” she asked. 

Thistle moved closer and plucked one from the bunch. Belle made as if she was going to draw her hand back, but she let him look. Let him feel the pulse of its magic. 

“What are they?” he asked, holding the emerald he held up to the fading light. 

“Gems from the Third World, the Underworld.” She wondered if the fae would know of her kingdom. 

Thistle looked at Briar and raised an eyebrow. Belle waited with bated breath.

BRIAR: Briar took a peek at the glimmering jewels. He could feel the magic they had from where he stood, but that didn’t mean they were useful to him. The princes shared a look. 

Briar could take the gems and call it a day, but Thistle would want a cut for organizing this transaction. And if this handful of jewels were all she had then he wouldn’t be getting much aside from the enjoyment of watching mortals struggle. 

“Is that all you have? As interesting as pretty, shiny things are… What are they to me? They’re magic, but what do they do, little flower?” Yes, Briar had a thing for giving names to the ladies. And this woman was anything but a little flower. But calling her a dangerous one would be far too high a compliment for someone he just met. 

BELLE:  Belle’s eyes narrowed at the nickname. It sent a shiver down her spine, reminding her of all the boys that had plagued her during school. All the people who had spoken down to her, just because she was slight and, to many’s standards, a beautiful woman. She hated it, but she held her tongue, not wanting to insult them. It made it easier to hide her discomfort with the situation. Hades always teased her for being an open book. Instead, her eyes were hard and her lips were pursed in disapproval. 

Part of Belle had hoped that handing over the gems would be enough. From what she had read, the fae loved to adorn themselves with beautiful, powerful objects. Wendy’s warning rang in her mind again: that you could not trust books when it came to the fae. 

However, she still had a few cards to play. The gems were ones that Hades had brought back years ago now. Some of the objects that they kept hidden in their new office. Belle had brought three with her now. They were small, but they were powerful.

“You can store a memory in each of them,” Belle told the prince. She did not tell him that he would have to take it to a sorcerer to do so. Who knew, maybe he didn’t need to. Besides, it was a harmless kind of magic. Something to show off with, but nothing that could do any damage. The last thing Belle wanted to hand over was a weapon. 

“If they don’t suit you, I can take them back, Your Highness.” She held out her hand. Shuck growled again at her side.

BRIAR: He held the gems up to his eye, with one closed, to inspect them as she spoke of their use. Briar had to admit they did call to him, if not just for their beauty. The Mountainlands were one of the only places to get magical gems in Elfhame. And despite being across from the Riverlands, the two kingdoms did often share resources as such. 

Not that it was ever really enough for the Prince. He was quite fond of stones. Be it gems, rocks covered in lichens, or stones polished by the currents. 

“No,” he placed them in his pocket defensively, “I don’t know if they suit me particularly, but I’d like to keep them.” 

There was a pause.

“Anyways, what do you need this sword for? And how’d it get into the Fae Realm? It’s not like you mortals can just come and go as you please from our domain,” Briar made a swooping gesture to the trio, “Obviously. So, what poor unfortunate soul is trapped in the High Court right now? I trust you know that if I take you, you won’t be able to bring them back.” 

The Fae Prince looked at Belle darkly, almost taunting her. You can have one, but not the other. Will you make the hard choice? Or be stuck in Elfhame with the other mortals you dragged along because of your hubris? 

BELLE:  It was fair Briar would have questions. 

Belle tried not to worry too much about them. Or the fact that he’d just taken the jewels and she wasn’t getting them back. She had been prepared for that. Their duty was to make sure the fae stayed and listened, and were more open to assisting. And it seemed like they were. At the very least, they hadn’t walked off yet. This wasn’t over. 

She took a moment to decide how to word what she was going to say. It only made her a little nervous. Wendy had told her long pauses to gather one’s thoughts was customary in Fae vernacular, and she actually quite appreciated that, considering it was her natural speech pattern. 

There could not be too much given away. Nor too much hidden. She needed to make it sound enticing, but not too valuable. His challenging gaze only made her want to convince him more. It didn’t intimidate her. 

“John Darling.” It was already all over the news, telling his story wasn’t going to do much. Her gaze flicked to Thistle. “I am under the impression you’re familiar?”

The fae nodded, but his expression betrayed little else. 

“I am not sure how he managed it, but he’s of the clever sort,” she said this proudly and her eyes flashed. I am too. After everything that had happened with the Order, she was glad to be in a situation where she felt more in control. 

“That isn’t why we are asking for access. It is the sword that we need.” Though, it was not all they wanted. If Belle could get John back too, she would. “It is important to us and to the town, without it—something terrible will happen. I figured it would be polite to ask, before we attempt to make our own way.” 

Translation: we don’t need you. 

It was a gamble and a bit of a threat. Perhaps an empty one. But, if John could manage it on his own, Belle was confident the knights could manage it together. 

BRIAR: Briar waved a hand dismissively. He didn't really care about who got trapped in Elfhame, just that Belle cared enough about him. Clearly the guy wasn’t that clever since he became a pet in the end. Thistle might have known him considering he was engaged to one, but Briar was above tying himself to a human who’d die of old age in the blink of an eye. 

Old humans were not sexy. This Belle girl though? She was in her prime. 

“Yeah, yeah, he’s so clever… still trapped though. I can help with the sword. But if one of the Queen’s pets goes missing that would be bad for all of us. It’s probably in the High Court somewhere.” Briar thought about the layout of his old home. The Gardens, the Court, it was all expansive. Where would his dear old Granny keep the damn thing? 

“What do you think, Toodles? Where would our lovely Grandmother display her boring Mundus artifacts?” 

BELLE:  Belle heard the warning in Briar’s voice concerning John, but she was undecided if she would heed it or not. After all, John was her friend and with about eight people volunteering to go, this might be the best time to try and free him. And Belle couldn’t waste an opportunity like that. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t try. Even if he technically wasn’t the mission. Even if it would put a target on their backs. 

She hoped that Briar meant it when he said “boring Mundus artifact” because that would mean the Fae Queen wouldn’t know the value of what she had. But, Belle doubted it. The Fae Queen was not a queen without being very aware of her advantages. 

Still, Belle didn’t say anything. Just turned and watched Thistle as he shrugged. 

“Certainly not above the mantle. I bet it’s ugly,” he snorted off-handedly. His eyes found her own, but she refused to bristle at the statement. 

“Even so,” Belle urged. 

“Even so; it is most likely in the library. Or perhaps the armory. Or maybe she sleeps with it underneath her pillow.” 

BRIAR: “Even so…” he mocked, “it would at least be interesting to watch a bunch of mortals break into the High Fey Queen’s home to steal something she’s taken a liking to.” 

He weighed the risk versus the thrill it could give. A game he was pretty good at after decades of rolling the dice. “Fine. I’ll do it on the condition that no one involved reveals what I am to anyone in this realm. I’ve got a thing going here and I don’t want the iron to come out.”

Shit.

Did she know about that part? Eh, who cares. This one wouldn’t test the fickle balance of a bargain she had just struck. “Do we have a deal?”